Reserve-supply-controlling device for liquid receptacles



A. J. SCHREINER ERVE SUPPLY CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR LIQUID RECEP EAGLES RES Original Filed August 22' 1921 Patented Dec. 7, 1926.

ANDREW J'. SGHREIN'ER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

RESERVE-SUPPLYCONTROLLII TG DEVICE FOR LIQUID RECEPTACLES.

Application filed August 22, 1921, Serial No. 494,322. Renewed June 7, 1926.

My invention is particularly useful in con nection with gasoline tanks used upon motor vehicles but it may be applied to any liquid tank or other receptacle where it is desired that a warning be given of the approaching exhaustion in the receptacle before the supply is in fact completely exhausted.

Among the objects of my invention are the provision of a device which may be attached to a tank or receptacle so that a reserve supply of liquid may be available for use, after the warning of its approaching exhaustion has been given, without the employment of an auxiliary tank or partitions of any sort in the main tank; the provision of a simple, inexpensive but reliable reserve supply controlling device which may be attached to the tank or receptacle and operated from outside of the tank; the pro-vision of a reserve supply controlling device which may be installed in the ordinary feed pipe opening without requiring any additional hole to be made in the tank or receptacle for the reception ofthe device or for its subsequent operation; the provision of a reserve supply controllingdevice requiring only a single packed joint to prevent the leakage of liquid between the moving and stationary parts of the device; and the pro vision of a reserve supply controlling device which may be easily installed upon tanks already in use as well as upon new tanks. These and other objects are attained by the use of my invention described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation partly in section of a well known type of automobile equipped with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a controlling device embodying my invention secured to a tank a fragmentary section of which is shown; V

Fig. 3 is a vertical central section of my invention secured in the bottom of a tank, the device being shown set to maintain the reserve supply in the tank;

Fig. 4 i a view similar to Fig.3 with the exception that the device is set to permit all of the liquid in'the tank to be used;

Fig. 5 is a section on line VV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the tubular valve member; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section of a modified form of my invention.

In the drawings 1 represents the body member or housing provided with a central aperture, 2, in which there is fitted for sliding movements the tubular valve member, The body member, 1, is provided with an externally threaded shank, 4, adapted to be screwed into a threaded connection, 5, such as is commonly employed for reinforcing the walls of sheet metal tanks about their bung holes or other inlet and outlet openings. It will be understood that any other suitable means may be employed for connecting the body member, 1, to the tank or that the body member, 1, may be formed integrally with the flange fitting, 5, or it may be otherwise made an integral portion of the tank.

The tubular valve, 3, is provided with a port or ports, 6, through its side wall and has upon its outer surface a toothed rack, 7. I prefer to form this toothed rack in tegral with the valve member, 3, by making external circumferential grooves in the surface of the valve tube as this is an inexpensive and expeditious operation and, the rack teeth, when formed in this manner, do not have to be carefully aligned with the plane of the teeth of the operating pinion. Further, when formed in this manner the tubular valve, 3. is free to turn in the aperture, 2, and there is less liability of grooves bein worn in the engaging surfaces of the tube, 3, and the aperture, 2, of the body, 1, which surfaces, it will be understood, must be maintained in reasonably fluid tight contact with each other, although it is not essential for the purposes of my invention that the joint be tween the valve, 3, andthe aperture, 2, be perfectly fluid tight as will subsequently appear.

In addition to providing a support and guide for the valve member, 3, the body or housing 1, is provided with a pinion chamher, 8. Within this chamber, 8, is the operating pinion, 9, which is carried by or formed integrally with the shaft or shank, 10. The chamber, 8,.has an opening into the aperture, 2, at the place where the pinion, 9, engages the valve, 3, and a second or pinion receiving opening to permit the endwise insertion of the pinion into. the chamber, 8,

The shaft, 10, has a bearing, 11, in a cylindrical barrel, 12, which forms a closure for the pinion receiving opening and, which for convenience of manufacture and ssenibl'ing is preferably provided with. an. external thread and screwed into the body, 1, in alignment with the pinion housing, 8, so as to form a fluid tight joint therewith as shown at 13. The threaded aperture in the body, 1, in which the barrel, 13, is secured is made large enough to permit the pinion, 9, to pass through it when the parts are being assembled. A washer, 1 1. of packing material is provided for making a fluid tight joint between the hub of pinion, 9, and the inner end of the barrel, 12, thus preventing the leakage 0i fluid through the joint between the shaft, 10, and barrel, 12, at the bearing, 11. The barrel, 12, is preferably provided with an aperture, 15, surrounding the shaft, 10, and o? eullicient diameter to properly receive a compression spring, 16. An operating lever, 17. is secured to the outer end oi shaft, 10. and preferably provided with a cylindrical hub. .18, and a shoulder, 19, respectively fitting in the aperture, 15, and abutting against the end of the barrel, The shoulder, 19, may, however, be omitted if desired. The lever, 17, is secured to the shaft. 10, for rotation with it in any convenient manner, preferably by making the end of the shaft, 10, square and providing a square hole in the hub of lever, 17, as shown at 20. A. retaining member such as the cotter pin, 21, may be used for holding the lever, 17, and the spring, 16, in place upon the shaft. 10. The spring, 16, is compressed between the hub, .13, oi the lever, 17, and the id wall, of aperture, 15, and thereby $015 the pinion, 9, to press upon the packniember, 1 1 to make the desired fluid it ioin betrieen the moving and station ar ineinbers.

lit will. be seen that although liriuid may enter the pinion chamber tl'irough the unpacl' a sliding joint between the valve inomb at, 3, and the w ll o'l' aperture, 2, the pinion thrimher is cil'eelivcly sealed by the washer, 141, and that the pinion may be rotated by external means applied to its shank, 10. which extends outside of the pinion chamber.

Rotation of the pinion, 9, causes vertical movements of the tubular valve, 3. I prefer to so proportion the rack, 7, and pinion, 9,

'. that a traction oi a turn, about 90 of the shalt, .10, is all that is needed to more the valve, 3, the full amount required.

l'l hen set in the position shown in Fig. 3 the tubular valve 3, the open top end, 24:, oi which forms an outletaperture above the bottom of the tank, permits liquid to be withdrawn from the tank to the level or the a ierture, 2%. I1 the device be connected to the level of the outlet aperture, 24. If new 3, in aperture, 2, are preferably limited by the number of teeth out in the rack, 7. At the lower end of the valve, 3, a wide tooth such as is shown at may be provided to act as a stop against further upward movement oi the valve, while the outer surface of the valve, 3, serves as a stop to the downward movement of the valve as shown in Fig. 3.

The connection or the supply pipe leading to the carburettor or other device served by the tank, 26, is shown at 27.

In Fig. 1, 26 represents the fuel supply tank 01" the automobile shown in this figure. To the bottom oi? this tank a controlling device embodying my invention is shown connected. The lever, 1'7, is operated by means of a connecting rod, 28, which extends from the controlling device to a point within convenient reach of the driver. In the automobile shown in Fig. 1 theconnecting rod, 28, extends from the controlling device through the heel board of the drivers seat and is provided with an operating ring, 29. It will be observed that the end of the connecting rod, 29, serves as anindicator of the position of the valve, l hen the end, 29, is pulled out as shown in dotted posit-ion at 30 the controlling device is set to permit all of the fuel in the tank, 26 to be used; and, when the end, 29, is pushed in as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the controlling device is set to retain the reserve supply of the fuel in the tank. Thus the driver may observe how the valve, 3, is set withoutleaving the drivers seat. The ad antagcs of this feature are apparent.

In Fig. 7 there is shown a modification in which. the housing, 31, is provided with a partition wall or shoulder, 2, in the aperture in which the valve member, 3, operates. Upon this shoulder there is formed a valve seat, 33, for the lower end of the valve, 3. \Vhen the valve, 3, is seated upon the seat, 33, as shown in Fig. 7, no fuel can leak past this seat when the valve is set for maintaining the reserve supply. Ordinarily this feeture is not necessary as all that is required 01": the sliding fit between the valve, 3, and the aperture, 2. in body, 1, is that it be sufficiently fluid tight to prevent enough fuel passing through it to operate the engine. lVhil'c the engine is not running the warning as to the condition of the fuel supply in the tank, 26, is not necessary and when the engine is running it requires more fuel than can pass through an ordinary sliding fit between the valve, 3, and the wall. of the aperture, 2, in which it slides, so that when the liquid in the tank falls to the level of the reserve supply the engine will stop.

The operation of my invention is as follows: v

Assuming that there is a suliicicnt supply of fuel in the tank, 26, and it is desired. that a reserve supply be provided-and that a warning be given the operator, for instance of a vehicle equi iuped with the controlling device, before the supply oi fuel in the fuel tank completely e:-:hausted, \-'alve, 3, is set in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. TJhen the level of fuel in the tank, 26, falls to the level of the aperture, 2%, in valve, 3, the engine will stop running on account of the failure oi: the supply of fuel. The valve, 3, may now be set in the position shown in it and the remainder of the fuel in the tank, 26, may be used. The operator having had to reset the controlling device is thus warned that he should replenish the supply of "fuel in the tank before driving further than the distance which the reserve supply in the tank will propel the car.

This invention is an improvement of that shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 379,084, filed May 5, 1920.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. ln apparatus of the class described, a body member having an aperture, a valve in said aperture adapted to slide therein and to conduct liquid therethrough, said valve having a toothed rack, a pinion meshing with said rack, said pinion being surrounded by a housing having a chamber adjacent to and opening into said aperture opposite said rack, said housing having a second opening to permit the insertion of said pinion into said chamber, said pinion being provided with a shank extending outwards through said second opening, a closure for said second opening surrounding said shank and secured to said housing, means for making fluid tight the joint between said shank and said closure, and means for rotating said shank.

2. in apparatus or" the class described, a

body member having an aperture, a valve in d aperture adapted to control the flow of liquid therethrough, a toothed pinion engaging said valve for operating it, said pinion being surrounded by a housing having a pinion chamber adjacent to and openinto said aperture to permit the engagement 0%? said pinion with said valve, said housing having a second opening to permit the insertion of said pinion into said chamber, said pinion being provided with a shank extending outwards through said second opening, a closure for said second opening surroumling said shank and secured to said housing, means for making fluid tight the joint between said shank and said closure and means for rotating said shank.

3. ln apparatus of the class described, a valve housing having a valve aperture, a tubular valve in said valve aperture adapted to sli e therein craft to conduct liquid therea rack on said valve, said housing h '1 chamber opening into said valve aperture, a pinion in said chamber meshing with said rack, closure for said chamber having an aperture, said pinion having'a shank extending through-said aperture in said closure, and means forcing said pinion towards said closure.

l. in apparatus of the class described, a valve housing having a valve aperture, a tubular valve in said valve aperture adapted to slide therein and to conduct liquid therethrough, a rack on said valve, said housing havi a chamber opening into said valve aperture, a pinion in said chamber meshing with said rack, a closure for said chamber having an aperture, said pinion having a shank extending through said aperture in said closure, and means outside said closure forcing said pinion towards said closure.

5. In apparatus of the class described, a valve housing having a valve aperture, a tubular valve in said valve aperture adapted to slide therein and to conduct liquid therethrough, a rack on said valve, said housing having a chamber opening into said valve aperture, a pinion in said chamber meshing with said rack, a closure for said chamber having an aperture, said pinion having a shank extending through said aperture in said closure, and resilient means forcing said pinion towards said closure.

6. In apparatus of the class described, a housing having a valve aperture and a pinion chamber, a tubular valve in said valve aperture adapted to slide therein and to conduct liquid therethrough, a rack on said valve, a pinion in said chamber meshing with said rack, said pinion having a shank extending through a pinion shank aperture in said housing, and means forcing said pinion towards that side of said housing in which said pinion shank aperture is located,

7. in apparatus of the class described a housing having a valve aperture and a pinion chamber, a tubular valve in said valve aperture adapted to slide therein and to conduct liquid thcrethrough, a rack on d valve, a pinion in said chamber meshing with said rack, said pinion having a shank extending through a pinion shank aperture in said housing, and a spring surrounding said shank outside said housing engaging said shank to vieldingly force said pinion towards the wall of said chamber.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

AFDRlEl V J. SCHREINER. 

